When Misogyny Goes Viral: Andrew Tate, Algorithmic Masculinity, and the Crisis of Contemporary Manhood. Author: Isabelle Schlich

Andrew Tate is a modern-day example of how patriarchy is reinforced in contemporary society. This manifesto explores how a powerful public figure like Tate exerts a significant influence on the normalisation of misogyny today, particularly through his strategic use of social media to target young men. This, in turn, snowballs into a wider sociological crisis involving the rise of violence against women. Furthermore, it questions his impact on the next generation of young men and argues that we must demand change to confront and end viral misogyny. Tate has become an admired global figure among many young men by promoting ideologies that centre male domination and toxic masculinity. As Haslop et al. (2024) argue, Tate’s misogyny helps mainstream manosphere ideologies and a neoliberal capitalist form of hegemonic masculinity. In other words, he sells a brand of manhood centred on competitiveness, wealth, and control by normalising extreme online misogyny by creating an emotional bond with young boys on the internet and a sense of loyal brotherhood. What happens when an entire generation learns manhood through misogyny? This manifesto calls for a rethinking of masculinity, one that is defined by empathy, vulnerability and accountability rather than by hierarchy and violence.

The Problem – Algorithmic Masculinity

The problem is not just Andrew Tate; it’s the system that made him go viral. Social media algorithms follow a simple path of what gets the most clicks and attention, not what builds compassion. The last 20 years have been “uniquely stupid” in the unregulated damage social media has caused to individuals and societies (Haidt, 2022). Andrew Tate has mastered this digital economy. As discussed by Campbell, A and Stewart, R (2023), he “manipulate[s] algorithms on TikTok to make millions of pounds” and built Hustlers University to teach men how to make money and become so-called “alpha males.” His brand of hypermasculinity thrives in this environment where approval and emotional connection between men are turned into digital currency. Trott (2023) shows how contemporary digital masculinities are still shaped by Raewyn Connell’s (1995) concept of “hegemonic masculinity” which is defined as “the configuration of gender practice which embodies the currently accepted answer to the problem of the legitimacy of patriarchy, which guarantees (or is taken to guarantee) the dominant position of men and the subordination of women”. On platforms like TikTok and X, this dominance is rebranded as entrepreneurial confidence and social supremacy. Tate has captured what Connell (2005) once described as the “legitimation of patriarchy” as a source of entertainment to be transformed into social media content to attract attention. These sexist and dominant behaviours mock women, humiliate ‘weak’ men and promote hyper-masculine ideals which unfortunately earn engagement from easily influenced audiences like young boys and is then monetised through subscriptions and courses like Hustlers University. Furthermore, Connell (2005) argued patriarchy used to be maintained through social norms however now it is maintained, and profited from, through content creation. What does it mean when algorithms become mentors, and influencers become role models?

The Consequence – Everyday Violence  

For boys who are still figuring out what it means to be a man, Andrew Tate has emerged as a virtual father figure. His influence shapes attitudes about women, relationships, and power in schools, online forums, and playground discussions. Teachers now describe classrooms where disrespect becomes a status symbol, kindness is ridiculed, and casual misogyny and “alpha” hierarchies are frequently discussed. In a BBC report, one teacher said, “Tate is intelligent, articulate and disciplined, yet also pathetic, insecure, and promotes ‘Taliban beliefs’ about how to treat women.” (Alice Evans, 2023). The fact that some pupils said they would still admire Tate if he were found guilty of charges such as rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women, shows the depth of his hold (BBC, 2025). At this adolescent age where boys may be seeking belonging, structure and advice, Tate steps in as a self-proclaimed mentor expressing views such as, “If you have a brain, you like me, if you don’t, you don’t” (Andrew Tate in Tracy Harmoush 2025, 1:11).

Veeena Das (2008) describes the way violence and dominance gradually become normal parts of everyday life and culture where “safe havens no longer exist” (p.284). Tate’s everyday digital rhetoric, his jokes, advice, and “alpha” mantras, represents this everyday violence, embedding harm into the language, humour and aspiration of this generation. What Das (2008) calls “the notion that men are sexual savages, ‘naturally’ positioned to take women” (p.292) resurfaces in Tate’s worldview, where being a man means dominating others, especially women, and asserting authority in relationships. This aligns with Das’s idea that violence folds into the ordinary shaping subjectivity and the way people come to understand themselves and others (Das, 2008, p283-299). The Netflix drama, Adolescence, captures how fragile identity and belonging are during youth, as well as how young people look to imitation for approval and purpose. In this context, Tate is a role model to many echoing Hartup’s (1962, p.82) observation that “the most masculine boys would be those who most readily imitate the father in preference to the mother.” Tate’s content exploits his power and the vulnerability of his viewers, reinforcing toxic norms of masculinity and threat to mistreatment towards women.

Demanding Change

It is evident that society cannot continue to be quiet given the increasing power of individuals such as Andrew Tate. When misogyny becomes entertainment, humour and identity, it is no longer just an opinion, it is a form of social harm (Haslop et al., 2024). Hegemonic masculinity survives in society because we allow it to as it is normalised, algorithmically promoted and replicated in school environments (Connell, 1995). We must demand resistance against a “generation of ‘lost boys’” (Haslop et al., 2024). This means teachers who won’t tolerate sexist jokes and educational institutions that teach how algorithms influence our opinions. It means families displaying vulnerability and working together creating “a community-based pedagogical model of intervention rather than a punitive model for controlling violence” (Das, V. 2008, p.293). When we begin to have the uncomfortable conversations, we prevent even more uncomfortable futures.

References

BBC. 2025. Who is Andrew Tate? The self-proclaimed misogynist influencer. 27 February. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64125045 [Accessed 25 October 2025].

Campbell, A. and Stewart, R. 2023. 95. Question Time: Combatting Andrew Tate, crisis at the Met, and Johnson standing again. The rest is politics [Podcast]. 19 January 2023. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5N2QORFyPSwZpScBYqjnSE?si=adf39b127dfc465d [Accessed 25 October 2025].

Connell, R. and James, W. 2005. Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept. Gender & Society. 19(6), pp. 829-859. doi: 10.1177/0891243205278639

Evans, A 2023. Andrew Tate: How schools are tackling his influence. The BBC 11 January 2023. Available at : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-64234568 [Accessed 25 October 2025].

Haidt, J. (2022). Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/.

Hartup, W. W. (1962). Some Correlates of Parental Imitation in Young Children. Child Development, 33(1), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.2307/1126635.

Haslop, C., Ringrose, J., Cambazoglu, I. and Milne, B. (2024) ‘Mainstreaming the manosphere’s misogyny through affective homosocial currencies: Exploring how teen boys navigate the Andrew Tate effect’, Social Media + Society, 10(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051241228811 (Accessed: 14 October 2025).

Tate, A. in Harmoush, T. 2025. “Everything Is My Fault” – Andrew Tate on Masculinity, Politics, Family, Allegation & The Matrix. Tracy Harmoush: What they Don’t Tell Us [Podcast]. 22 May 2025. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0LhlfBP4SKXnH3Q0syUHiZ?si=87v_i94XRz6V-MxqaeTSPg [Accessed: 25 October 2025].

Trott, V. A. (2020). ‘Gillette: The best a beta can get’: Networking hegemonic masculinity in the digital sphere. New Media & Society, 24(6), 1417-1434. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820978293